Patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, stretchers, cots, tables, and wheelchairs, facilitate care of patients in a health care setting. Conventional patient support apparatuses comprise a base, a support frame, and a patient support deck upon which the patient is supported. The patient support deck usually comprises several deck sections capable of articulating relative to one another, such as a back section, a seat section, a leg section, and a foot section. These deck sections can be positioned in several different configurations, including vascular configurations that prevent adverse health or circulatory issues associated with compromised blood flow. In such vascular configurations, the leg and foot sections are controlled so that legs of a patient are kept elevated and above a level of the patient's sternum.
Often, one end of the foot section is pivotally coupled to the leg section to be raised when the leg section is raised. An opposite free end of the foot section is then separately supported by a stay, support arm, bolster, or other type of support link that extends between the support frame and the foot section. These support links are manually adjusted by users to raise or lower the free end of the foot section relative to the leg section to place the leg and foot sections in a vascular configuration. Owing to the support links being manual adjusted, considerable effort may be needed to raise the free end of the foot section, especially in cases of heavier patients. In other patient support apparatuses, a linear actuator may be used to raise or lower the free end of the foot section relative to the leg section. However, the linear actuator typically extends from the support frame to the foot section, which may take up considerable space on the support frame.
A patient support apparatus with an adjustable foot section designed to overcome one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages is desired.